Monday, June 02, 2014

IAVA’s 8 Steps to Restore Confidence in the VA

This is a defining moment in American
history. After decades of neglect, years of failure and weeks of
controversy, all of America is focused on our nation’s veterans. As a
result of the scandal that began in Phoenix, the sacred trust at the VA
has been broken. But it can be rebuilt. With leadership, creativity and
tenacity, the VA can be stronger in the broken places. Now
can be the time when America can finally turn the corner on decades of
failures at the VA—and for our veterans of all generations more
broadly. The national
membership of IAVA calls on President Obama to move quickly to create
and execute a bold, comprehensive plan to support all generations of
American veterans. It must be a top priority for the President for the
duration of his term and involve the entire federal government,
Congress, the private sector, philanthropy, veterans groups, the medical
community and every resource our great nation can muster. It’s time for
a Marshall Plan for veterans. America’s veterans are depending on strong leadership from the President and are standing by to support in any way needed. The plan should include the following 8 steps as recommended by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA): 1.
Appoint a Post-9/11 veteran, or someone very familiar with our
community, who is a proven, dynamic leader capable of making dramatic
changes and inspiring the turnaround VA needs. The VA needs a
proven reformer at the top who can end the crisis and drive the VA to
become the 21st Century organization our veterans deserve. America needs
a unique brand of hybrid leader--a proactive change-agent who
understands Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, technology, healthcare and
Congress. The new Secretary must also be an effective communicator who
can level with the public, operate effectively in the midst of a growing
scandal that may span dozens of cities and continue for months, and
inspire the best talent in America to answer the call to serve at VA.2. Initiative a full criminal investigation and punish all violators to the full extent of the law.
The IG has revealed a full system failure. An unknown number of bad
actors have ruined the reputation of the VA. Those who have violated
America’s sacred trust with our veterans must be rooted out nationwide
and held accountable. Only if these people are cleansed from the system
will the VA workforce, IAVA members and the rest of America ever have
faith and trust in the system again. 3. Implement the recommendations of interim IG report for Phoenix.
The interim IG report recommended that the VA: (1) do a nationwide
review of all facilities, (2) audit new requests for appointments across
the system to ensure all veterans are on the list to be seen, and (3)
reach out to veterans affected in Phoenix to get them into care. The VA
must now to implement these recommendations immediately.4. Pass the VA Management Accountability Act. The Senate must act now to pass the VA Management Accountability Act.
The bill (endorsed by Secretary Shinseki in his final public remarks)
gives the Secretary of the VA the authority to remove under-performing
Senior Executive Service employees from their jobs. Without the ability
to fire poor-performing managers, the next VA Secretary will struggle to
restore a culture of accountability throughout the VA. 5. Support the recommendations in IAVA’s 2014 Policy Agenda that focus on building a 21st Century VA.
For years, IAVA has demanded a 21st Century VA, an organization able to
find problems, respond decisively, and provide the quality of care
veterans of all generations deserve. This is especially urgent for IAVA
veterans who present new healthcare needs, more gender diversity, and
significant geographic shifts. To move towards a 21st Century VA,
Congress and the VA must:

A. Mandate best practices for managing VA medical facilities.
There is a saying that when you’ve seen one VA hospital, you’ve seen
one VA hospital. But there are best management practices that can
improve care at the VA if implemented across the entire system.

B. Overhaul the training and technology of the VA’s scheduling system.
The nationwide audit of VA facilities exposed many problems in the
training of VA scheduling employees. The VA must re-establish scheduling
guidelines, improve training for staff, and invest in new scheduling
technology.

C. Change performance metrics to focus on quality of care.
The VA scandal has exposed what many veteran organizations have talked
about for years: accountability is lacking at the VA. The VA must
realign its performance metrics and performance incentives to encourage
and deliver quality care.

D. Smooth the Transition between the Department of Defense and the VA.
Too much is lost between the DoD and VA. Despite significant
investment, there is still no interoperable health record and many
veterans never enroll in VA care. The DoD and VA must improve
collaboration to adequately care for today’s veterans.

E. Invest in Technology to Transform the VA.
The technology underpinning all of the VA’s work, including the
disability claims process and appointment scheduling, is woefully
outdated. Without 21st Century technology, the VA can never be a 21st
Century organization.

6. Fully Fund the VA to the levels recommended by the Independent Budget.
Despite consistently claiming otherwise, it is clear that the VA does
not have the resources it needs to meet the demand for care. The VA
currently relies on outdated and inadequate formulas to project their
needs. Congress should fully fund the VA to the levels recommended by
the Independent Budget,
a budget written by leading veteran service organizations including
IAVA. In FY2014, the IB recommended $4 billion more for discretionary
medical services funds than the President requested or Congress
appropriated. 7. Support best-in-class non-profit organizations that the fill gaps.
The VA can not meet all of the needs of America’s veterans alone. And
some vets will never go to the VA. Non-profits fill the gaps and are
often there for vets when VA can’t be. The VA is also often most
effective when it partners with non-profits, as demonstrated by the
tremendous progress made toward ending veteran homelessness. Innovative
programs like IAVA’s Rapid Response Referral Program (RRRP)
assist veterans in reaching private, local and VA resources in times of
crisis. They also serve veterans who are not eligible for VA
services--like those with “other than honorable” discharge status.The
public must donate their time, money and talent to trusted, effective,
best-in-class non-profit organizations who continue to face growing
demand with extremely limited resources. Philanthropy, corporate
leaders, and all Americans must donate as generously as possible now to
support these essential groups supporting veterans. The Iraq and
Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund (IADIF), the Schultz Foundation, the
recent First Lady's donor initiative, and Robin Hood have all created
effective blueprints for national support that must be replicated,
expanded and scaled. 8.
Combat suicide by passing the bi-partisan Suicide Prevention for
America’s Veterans (SAV) Act, enacting an Executive Order, and
connecting 1 million veterans with resources by the end of 2014.
According to VA data, 22 veterans die by suicide each day. Many of
these men and women never reached the VA. Only bold, comprehensive
action will prevent suicide and ensure that veterans have access to
quality mental health care. Congress must act by passing the Suicide
Prevention for America’s Veterans Act (SAV Act). The President must
issue an Executive Order as outlined by IAVA. And all American can help
by promoting suicide prevention resources in their local communities.

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists.